Golden-backed Frog

About Golden-backed Frog

• It is endemic to the Western Ghats of Karnataka and Kerala, specifically above the Palghat Gap, where it is known to thrive in relative abundance.
• It is about the size of a human thumb.
• Habitat: The Golden backed frog is predominantly found in evergreen and semi-evergreen forests in the Western Ghats of India.
• These frogs prefer to reside near streams, ponds, and other water bodies, where they can lay their eggs and find their food.
• They are primarily insectivorous and feed on a range of small insects and arthropods such as ants, beetles, and crickets.
• Threats: The major threats to the survival of these frogs are habitat loss and fragmentation, pollution of water bodies, and the introduction of non-native species.

What is Bonnet mushroom?

• It is commonly found as a saprotroph (an organism that feeds on non-living organic matter) on rotting wood.
• It belongs to the Mycena genus.
• Mycenas are hard to identify to species and some are distinguishable only by microscopic features such as the shape of the cystidia.
• Some species are edible, while others contain toxins.

Q1) What is mutualism?

It is an association between organisms of two different species in which each benefits. Mutualistic arrangements are most likely to develop between organisms with widely different living requirements.

Source: Mushroom growing on a frog in India baffles scientists